Sonadow and Vecpio: Opposites Attract
by Marialine
Summary: Well, what can we say? Opposites attract in many ways…
1. Same Yet Different 1

He's there. He's always there.

Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate lifeform. The android mobian hedgehog made by the grandfather of Dr. Eggman for a young sick girl named Maria.

But now, they're both gone from his immortal life. Now, he's trying to find a place in the world. With us.

With me.

I'm Sonic the Hedgehog and I'll tell ya how I met the hedgehog that I fell in love with but can't have.

I'm Prince Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the princes of Möbius and one of the sons of Aleena the Hedgehog and Bernadette the Hedgehog.

I have a big sister, Princess Sonia the Hedgehog, who inherited the throne since she was old enough to and since our mothers were away with our uncles Jules and Chuck and/or when they went to a different island for a relaxing vacation.

I have like 3 brothers; 2 older and 1 younger so I'm like the middle child since there's five of us.

My older brother Prince Manic the Hedgehog is a street thief, since he and the rest of us don't have a place in throne much, while my older identical triplet brother Prince Maurice the Hedgehog is an assassin/a head assassin of a team called Black Death, supported by our wealthy big sister.

Our little brother/youngest identical triplet brother Prince Ogilvie the Hedgehog is a police officer/a chief police officer of the Möbius Protection Force or the MPF, which was also supported by our sister dearest.

Having different jobs, my siblings and I decided to split. Sonia stayed in Mobotropolis, in Northern Möbius, Maurice set up Black Death Headquarters in Western Möbius for his assassins and officers while Ogilvie established the MPF Base in Eastern Möbius and hired a couple of police officers to help him.

As for me and Manic, we went to Southern Möbius but we also had to split up. Manic just went to the city and lived as a sneaky street thief and a nomad. I went to the villages to follow and vanquish Eggman and became the infamous Hero of Möbius.

We were all happy. Well, all except for me.

I mean, Sonia had Tikal, Knuckles's sister, to accompany her at the palace since Tikal became her royal servant a few years ago and now, her recent girlfriend.

Manic WAS a nomad and a street thief in the city. Now, he's with Knuckles in Angel Island to help him guard the Master Emerald and to keep him company. Of course, this resulted them to getting to know each other and now, they were together as a couple.

Maurice rescued Shadow's brother, Eclipse the Darkling and our old enemy, Nazo from G.U.N Prison and they joined him. They both, however, were attracted to my older identical triplet brother and fight constantly. Up until now, Maurice hasn't decided who to choose, even though he did say he liked Eclipse more than Nazo.

Ogilvie, on the other hand, accidentally opened a portal and it brought Shadow's counterpart, Sir Lancelot, a Knight of the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur, to our world. Ogilvie had to welcome him to his base. Soon, they became very close and they ended up together too.

Only I was miserable. I was alone at home, up until now.

Tails used to live with me but he's 14 years old now and intelligent so he got his own house.

Amy still bothered me but not so often cause she mainly focused on her cafe with Cream and Gia.

Anyway, enough of just me and my stupid life. Now, I wanna tell you about the day I met Shadow.

We were on Earth, a place in which Gia, our dimension-traveling friend, came from. In our world, she was an orange mobian cat but on Earth, she was a human with brown hair.

One night, while we were staying at the mansion of Gia's friend, Chris, I realized that I was being framed of causing trouble in the streets when I was just sitting still on a chair for once in my life. I was determined to find out why and when I did, my heart nearly stopped.

In front of me stood an ebony hedgehog with red stripes all over his fur and quills. His lower quills were raised upwards as he wore red hovers by his feet. Rings were around his wrists and ankles as he smirks at me in a devious way.

That's the day I met a new enemy, a rival to test how fast I can go and if I can improve my speed.

I wish the word 'rival' was the only way I see Shadow. Unfortunately, it was not. Not even close.

When Shadow started to work for G.U.N, which was a rival army next to the Black Death and the MPF, and started to hang out with us because of Rouge, I started to see him in a new way.

His ruby red eyes shine as bright as an actual gem. His fur illuminated in the light as his looks were so intimidating that it made me nearly faint in admiration. His arms were surprisingly full of muscles, so hard and tough while his strength was as great as Sonia's.

Sadly, I can't have him. Why? I can give you three reasons.

One, I'm not sure if he's gay.

Two, he's still depressed about his love for Maria so he won't give me a chance.

And three, I'm his rival. Friendly or not, he sees me as a rival ONLY, nothing more, nothing less.

Anyway, right now, I'm at the park, walking to relax my self after a battle with Eggman. As I do, my eyes light up to see Shadow running slowly to my direction.

"Hey, Shads!" I greet but he ignores and passes me, bumping my shoulder as he yells at the person he's calling with his phone.

"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S IMPORTANT, ROUGE!" he shouts, making everyone else stare at him in shock or confusion. "IT WAS MY DAY OFF, YOU BITCH! TELL THAT FUCKING COMMANDER OF OURS THAT HE BETTER HAVE GOOD DAMN EXPLANATION ON CALLING ME ON MY DAY OFF!!!"

He hangs up and sees the crowd so he sends a glare. "What the fuck are you freaks looking at?!"

They yelp and run off but I remain, staring at Shadow fearfully yet I try to hide my fear. I walk up to him with my usual FAKE smile.

"Hey, Shads!" I greet again, hoping to get SOMETHING from it this time.

"What do you want from me this time, Faker?" he growls and folds his arms. Well, at least I have his attention.

"Wanted to ask why you're madder than usual, that's all," I shrug with a cocky face.

"None of your business!" he snaps.

I roll my eyes. "Yeesh, I was just curious,"

"Well, don't be!" he turns away from me. "It isn't YOUR business so get the fuck away from me!"

My ears fold and pin to my skull but I still force a smile in my face and try to hold back the tears threatening to fall. I nod and turn.

"O–Okay…" I suppress my shaking voice and slowly walk. "I…I'll go…"

With that, I leave him alone and once I was far, I collapse on a bench and let the tears roll down my cheeks.

I love him…but he hates me…


	2. Same Yet Different 2

How long has it been? Since this feeling started? Has it been about 6 years? I can never recall. All I can recall is that he is and will forever be my best friend.

Vector the Crocodile, the big boss in our Chaotix Detective Agency and the family eldest. Our small yet strange family that composes of him, our youngest Charmy the Bee and me.

2 years. It has been 2 years since I met Vector. Our meeting was quite memorable yet not so pleasant but none of us are to blame.

Well, I could blame myself but it's still not my fault. Just how I was raised by Ferrell.

Yes, I, Espio the Chameleon, was raised by that scoundrel but it was not my choice. Well, it was but I had no other choice.

When I was young, my father was a samurai and my mother was a ninja, resulting me to be a strong warrior myself. When I was about 5 years old, however, I fearfully witnessed my own father slaughter my mother then he saw me and killed himself. I was young and scarred by the memory. All I could do was bury my parents and leave home.

I was in the streets when Ferrell and his pack found me. I was like a lost wolf, sniffing around for food and money. He took me in and raised me to do cruel things.

Honestly, I never thought or even dared to realize the horrid consequences. I was too busy learning and living my life to what I had.

Ferrell not only raised me but also a lime hedgehog with some spiky bangs on his head. He was 4 when I met him. His name is Manic and he became my best friend.

Well, for 11 years at least.

The day I met Vector was the day our friendship faded.

I was only 17 and Vector was 18 when I stole his headphones and golden chains. I grabbed them while he was sleeping but as soon as I ran off, he rushed behind me to get his things back. He had me pinned to the wall then he took his stuff and threatened to call the police on me if I try to steal from him again. I had no choice but to return to the pack empty-handed and the other thieves didn't share so I was hungry. Ferrell was out hunting with Manic, who was his favorite student as much as I am, so I had no company. I had to go back to the streets.

That was the first time I experienced my own stomach eating my intestines, little by little.

My skin was pale when I looked at myself in the puddle. My horn looked worn out and I was thinner than when Ferrell found me, even if it was only a few hours but I HAD been hunting for the WHOLE day so it's not surprising that I was getting skinnier and hungrier by the minute.

I was a thief but after a while, I acted like a beggar.

I sat by the sides of building, leaning against the wall as I open my palms for food. I look around with pitiful eyes but I was a teen, not a kid anymore so it was hard to ask others for their pity and their mercy. There were those who give me coins and food leftovers while there were those who would kick me down until I bleed then they would leave me, yelling at me to get a job.

Those were the cold-hearted aristocrats. They act like they're the most important and most sophisticated beings in all of Mobotropolis.

Luckily, I had bandages and easily wrap my wounds with them but I knew they were infected with germs already as they bled.

Hours passed more and I passed out on the streets because of hunger, thirst and, for some reason, blood loss.

A miracle came after that. I woke up in an apartment, on a couch with a blanket around me to warm me up for it was August, Autumn time and it was getting colder because it was nearing September.

I was confused, surprised and most of all, terrified. I had no idea who would have taken me in while I was knocked out cold. I didn't know anyone that wasn't a thief that time other than my parents but they were dead so it was obviously not any of them.

To my surprise, it turned out to be Vector, who soon explained to me that even if I DID try to steal from him, he wasn't going to let me starve to death. He served me some food and water, even if he didn't have much.

I was speechless and grateful as I let him serve me. I didn't even know other mobians could be THIS nice before…

He told me his past, describing emotionally how he was forcefully separated from his family since he was 6 years old because of Robotnik's dictatorship. He cried hard and I comforted him but when he asked me to talk, I froze up and my tears became an endless waterfall.

I didn't want to talk and the best part was that he didn't force me to.

We changed the subject and chatted more. My heart pumped quickly in my chest as we talked, my cheeks heating up and my body changing color whenever he threw in his jokes and laughed at the very corny ones.

I fell for him. I know I did but he didn't know.

At those hours, I found a new best friend. A best friend that was a better influence than anyone I've ever known…

Unfortunately, when good things come, there's always a reverse effect.

When I got back to the pack, Manic was very upset. Everyone was taken and he blamed me for the unfortunate event. I packed my things then he kicked me out.

I never felt so betrayed in my life…

Vector took me in his apartment but since we were two, the rent was higher. After two months, we were evicted. I managed to get us an old shack and we were able to remake it to a humble home to stay in for a while.

Three months later, we met Charmy.

Charmy was a young bee that was 8 years old. He was an orphan, his parents taken and roboticised by Dr. Eggman Robotnik so he was left on the streets. I felt pity and took him in to live with us.

Unfortunately, Vector didn't trust my actions around Charmy because I was raised to be a thief.

Again, I felt betrayed…

But all was in the past. We now have the Chaotix Detective Agency but that doesn't raise my probability of me being with Vector.

I have these reasons;

One, he ONLY sees me as a best friend.

And two, he likes Vanilla.

Yes, Vector Likes Cream's mother, Vanilla the Rabbit. He told his crush on her to me and Charmy one time at dinner.

My eyes were wide. My arms were quivering and my heart was shattered and broken.

Despite all this, I smiled and gave him some advice to try to get Vanilla.

It was painful. It hurt me more than it hurt him. I wonder how much it'll hurt him to know that everything I'm doing is fake…

Anyway, right now, our agency was empty. Vector and Charmy were at Cream and Vanilla's place while I was left at our home/Chaotix Detective Agency HQ.

I am reading my favorite book of Ninja Tactics when suddenly, the door burst open. I jump with wide eyes then turn to see Vector and Charmy cheering like crazy.

"Why so happy?" I ask as they shut the door.

"Cream gave me a kiss!" Charmy cries out with a bright smile.

I smile back, knowing that Charmy has had a crush on Cream ever since he was 8 years old and she was 6. "Well, aren't you lucky?"

"Totally!" Charmy buzzes all around the room. "I THINK SHE LIKES ME BACK!!!"

"That doesn't beat what happened to me!" Vector brags with the grin that I always love to see.

"So…what DID happened to you, Vector?" I ask, knowing that it'll hurt me later anyway.

"Well," Vector blushes, his snout as red as Knuckles. "Vanilla and I were talking about parental hood and other adult stuff, since I was 23 and she's 22, when she complimented how good of a parent I was to Charmy. She really thought I could be a father to a child and she was even thinking I could be a father figure to Cream! I was so happy! Then, she told me that she may consider something in the future then…she kissed me!"

Heartbreak. Guilt. Those were things I can never take away from my body, which quivers in jealousy but I try to hold it in. Emphasize on 'try'.

"That's…great!" I force happiness but I knew it'll never last as I stand up and turn. "Well, now that you're here, I am off to bed. Farewell, and good night,"

I walk to my room without another word and close my bedroom door with a clicking lock. I sigh and collapse on my bed, curling myself as I hug my long, curly tail.

I love him…but he'll never love me…


	3. The Fight

It was a slow day in the Chaotix Detective Agency HQ. Espio was on a mat on the floor, meditating while Vector sat on the couch, bobbing his head to the music on his headphones.

The day seemed so slow for the chameleon. He gave a sigh and opened an eye to peek at his crocodile comrade.

Vector was totally engrossed with the music, his thick, scaly tail flicking at rhythm. A grin rested on his snout as his muscular hands resting behind his head. His eyes were closed, his mind possibly forming an image that resembled the music. The gold chain around his neck jingled up and down while his scales seem to glisten at the sun shining through the window.

Espio felt his scales burn up and his body change to pink as he eyed the bigger reptile.

'He's perfect.' he thought with a small smile, which soon faltered with a sigh. 'Too bad he can never be mine.'

The sigh was too loud and Vector opened his eyes. Espio was in panic and shut his eyes, forcing his body color to turn back to purple to not earn suspicion.

"Yo, Esp?"

"Mm?" Espio opened an eye innocently. "Yes?"

"Ya okay? I heard a sigh,"

"Really now?" Espio chuckled and opened both eyes. "I'm surprised you heard anything through your headphones,"

Vector grinned. "Well, my music IS loud but I was still able to hear ya,"

Espio gulped, turning away to avoid the question. The crocodile noticed this and sighed. He turned off the music and stood up then he folded his arms.

"Are we seriously having this AGAIN, Esp?"

Espio turned his head back to him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Ya know what I mean. Every since we met, you've been keeping lots of things from me and Charmy and it's really irritating!"

Espio frowned and folded his arms at the outburst. Vector knew that even if he tried to reason with him, the chameleon wasn't gonna talk.

"Hello!" the croc waved his hands around his comrade. "Are you getting deaf?! Or did you forgot to read between the lines?!"

"I'm not as forgetful as you are, Vector," Espio calmly said.

"Then why aren't you answering me?!"

"Because I don't want to. Is that a problem?"

"Yes!" Vector gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "It is a VERY big problem, Espio! Charmy and I told you EVERYTHING about us and our past while you gave us NOTHING but silence and mystery! Seriously, I have NO idea how we were able to get along with you, after all those years of YOU hiding secrets from us! I'm tired of it! Why do you keep so much from us?!"

"WHAT PAST DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU?!" Espio yelled, tears rolling down his cheeks as he clenched his fist and felt his heart breaking into two. "DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU HOW AWFUL MY LIFE WAS WHEN I WAS YOUNG?! HOW HAPPY I WAS WITH MY PARENTS UNTIL MY OWN FATHER KILLED MY MOTHER?! HOW SCARRED I WAS WHEN I SAW HIM KILL HIMSELF?! HOW MUCH I MOURNED BOTH OF THEIR DEATHS?! HOW I ENDED UP IN THE HANDS OF THAT FUCKED-UP BASTARD NAMED FERRELL?! HOW MY HONORABLE NAME TURNED INTO DIRT WHEN I WAS TAUGHT HOW TO STEAL?! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU?!"

Vector gasped, taken back as he took a step away from the enraged chameleon, whose scales had turned red in rage. Espio fell on his knees and cried in his hands, not caring if his so-called friend was watching.

He didn't care. Especially if the other didn't either.

"Espio…"

"NO!" Espio stood up, his golden eyes flaming angrily. "I WILL NOT SHUT MY MOUTH AND LET YOU TORMENT ME WITH YOUR DISHONORABLE AND SEVERELY DISRESPECTFUL WORDS!"

He turned away from the crocodile and began to walk off. "I…I've had enough…"

Then he ran. Ran through the door and far from the shack.

Vector was perplexed, not realizing how much Espio's been through as he froze. At the same time, Charmy came in the house, after a long day at Vanilla and Cream's.

"Vector?" he asked the crocodile he looked up at as a father ever since before. "What happened to Espio? I saw him run out of here with tears!"

"Uh…" Vector shook his head from his trance. "He's fine, Charmy. We just had an…argument,"

"Do you…think he'll come back?"

Vector patted the bee's head reassuringly. "Sure, he will, kiddo,"

Charmy smiled and nodded then he flew off to his room to play his video games. Vector sighed and frowned.

'I hope he does come back…'


	4. Some Old Friends

{Espio}

I can't believe this. Vector is such a stubborn crocodile but that's the reason why I love him. Even after all that drama, I still do.

For now, I walk to the park, wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes as I fold my arms and sigh.

Many mobians point to me and begin to gossip but I don't give a damn as I search for a bench and sit down.

I lay back and lean my head on the tree bark.

I never want to go back but I know that I have to. Despite what Vector said, he and Charmy are the only family I have left. They're all I have in this thing called life.

Time went slow. I am still in the park and when I checked my watch, I realize that I have only been there for 3 minutes.

It felt like 3 hours, if you ask me.

I sigh and close my eyes, placing my hands on my stomach. I take a deep breath to take in the scent of failure and defeat as tears come back to my eyes. I open them, noticing how misty they are so I wipe them to clear my vision.

The sky was calm. The clouds slowly move at a gently motion while a breeze blew gently against the trees. Leaves started to move with the wind as the sun shone bright above.

Peace. This is all I need…

Suddenly, I hear footsteps come my way. I sit back up with wide eyes and turn then gasp.

In front of me was a lime hedgehog with spike bangs and hazelnut brown eyes. He had a red vest on along with an orange pouch and some red sneakers as he stops walking and looks down at me with wide eyes.

"Espio…?" he gasps and I stand up.

"Manic…?" I feel my breath taken away as I step closer.

"You're really…alive…?"

I blink in surprise then gasp when he rushed to me and trapped me in a warm embrace. I feel him cry on my chest as he hugs me tighter.

"Manic?" I ask, confused. "W-What are you talking about?"

He pulls away from me, crystal tears falling down his cheeks and muzzle. "A-After Ferrell g-got captured and r-roboticised b-by Robotnik, e-everyone else in the pack g-got killed and/or r-roboticised. I…I was only able to escape b-because of my siblings…"

He turns away and wipes the tears before hugging himself. I frown and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Manic…"

He turns back to me with wide eyes then a smile creeps up on his face.

"Espio…" he walks towards me and tears up again. "the only reason I kicked you out was that I was stressed. I never meant to hurt you. Honest. And when I heard that you were alive, you had no idea how much I missed you…best friend…"

I begin to tear, tears rolling down my cheeks as I embrace him into my own hug. He chuckles and hugs back warmly then we pull away and begin to chat. We sit down on the bench and catch up on things.

"How have you been, Manic?"

"Pretty tired," he sighs and lays back on the tree bark. "For about a year, I've been living my life as a thief and a nomad; living by the streets and taking whatever I see as mine,"

I narrow my eyes at him. "Manic…"

He grins mischievously and just shrugs. "I told you, it's not my fault. I've been with Ferrell ever since I was a year old. I just did what I was taught,"

"Do you ever stop?"

"Oh, don't worry. I did,"

"When?"

"A couple of months ago,"

"How?" I raise an eyebrow.

"By someone…special," he blushes a deep red and I smirk.

"Oh, really now?"

"Yep! He's the same guy who told me you were alive,"

"Really? Who could that be?"

But before he could speak, a familiar voice interrupts us.

"MANIC!"

We turn and I gasp to see Knuckles run towards us. Manic smiles and stands up, welcoming my echidna friend's sudden embrace. My eyes widen at the realization the moment they kissed in front of me.

"What the?!" I am taken back, catching their attentions as they turn to me.

"Espio!" Knuckles smiles and helps me to stand. "Long time, long see!"

"Same goes…to you…" I let out a sigh of relief as I smile.

"Knux," Manic heads over to him and places his arms around my echidna friend's neck. "I'm sorry,"

"Whatever for?" Knuckles sounds confused while I become confused.

"I honestly didn't believe you when you said Espio was alive. I was too…unwilling…"

Knuckles sighs and kisses my best friend's forehead. "It's okay, Manic. I know how it is to lose people you love. You're forgiven,"

Manic smiles and turns to me then his smile falters. He pulls away and walks to me.

"Espio? You okay?" he asks and I tilt my head.

"What do you mean?" I question.

Knuckles turns to me and gasps with wide eyes while Manic points to my face. I am still confused until I touch my cheek to feel it wet.

I had no clue I had been crying the whole time they were embracing each other, with their love and everything. It hurt me so for it reminded me about…Vector…

I fall on my knees and begin to cry my heart out.

I didn't care if my knees hurt because of the rough cement beneath me. I wanted to cry and cry all I want.

"Espio?!" I feel two pairs of arms wrap around me and I look up to see their concerned faces.

I didn't care if anyone watched and just wept. My little drama went on for a couple of minutes until I calm myself down.

"I…I'm sorry for that…" I try to apologize but they shake their heads.

"No need to apologize to us like that, Espio," Knuckles tells me.

"We just want you to tell us what's the matter," Manic gently adds, patting my back.

"V-Vector…" I croak out, tears still clogged in my throat as I weep again.

"Vector? What did he do to make you cry?" I hear Knuckles ask.

I look up at them with tearful eyes and Manic gasps.

"You…like him, don't you?" he asks and I nod.

"Y-Yes…" I wipe my tears and Knuckles sighs.

"Hey, it's okay," my echidna friend reassures me. "We all get rejected,"

"Yeah," Manic nods in agreement then chuckles. "Sometimes, it's a harsh rejection while other times, it's just a simple friend-zone. Either way, all you can do is move on,"

I nod in understanding but I know in my heart that I couldn't take in their advice.

They smile and help me up on my feet again.

"Come on," Manic says. "Let's head over to my younger brother's place. Maybe it'll help you to calm down,"

"I agree," Knuckles grins.

I smile and nod. "Alright, let's go,"

We walk off, out of the park with me in between them so it wouldn't be uncomfortable for me. We chat as we walk, the pain in my chest easing slightly.

I love my friends…but I'm still in love with you…Vector…


	5. On The Same Boat

Espio followed Manic and Knuckles to a familiar path. He looked around as if he knew the place but just couldn't remember.

'I swear I've been here.' he thought as he bit his bottom lip. 'But how is that possible?'

"Espy?" Manic asked, snapping the chameleon from his thoughts. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes, I think," Espio faked a smile.

Manic blinked at him for a while then nudged Knuckles, who had been talking until his boyfriend suddenly interrupted him.

"Hey!" the red echidna growled but soon noticed Espio's unsure eyes and Manic's concerned ones. "Uh, did I miss something?"

"Espy, what's up?" Manic began to ask again, more comfortable with his lover's support.

"Well," Espio sighed. "this path just feels…familiar…"

"It should," Knuckles chuckled with a grin. "We come here during emergencies, some missions and even special occasions like New Years or Christmas to celebrate,"

"You do?" Manic was taken back with wide eyes.

Espio gasped. 'Now I know why it seems so familiar! We're going to Sonic's place!'

After a few twists and turns, they end up at the doorstep of a cobalt blue house with an emerald green roof, a chocolate brown door, and crystal blue windows. Espio smiled at the familiar place while Manic rolled his eyes.

"Is this his house, Knux?" he asks in a sarcastic tone.

Knuckles chuckled. "Ha-ha. I know how obvious it is, Manny,"

"Too obvious," Manic held in a laugh.

They went up to the door and Knuckles knocked on it. They were greeted with silence so the red echidna tried again but was replied the same way as before.

'Why isn't Sonic answering?' Espio thought worriedly. 'I might not know him well but I DO know that he loves to answer the door and to greet friends. What happened?'

"Sonic…" Espio snapped from his thoughts and turned to his best friend, who had his phone out and was texting like crazy.

"Manic? Are you alright?"

"No," Manic shook his head and texted quicker. "Sonic should be active but he isn't even answering his cellphone,"

"Wait, you know him?"

Manic nodded. "Yeah, he's—"

The door suddenly creaked open, interrupting their conversation as they turned to the dark room.

"Sonic…?" Knuckles froze up but managed to step in. "Are you in here…?"

Manic and Espio gulped and stepped in after the echidna, who scanned the wall until he finally found the light switch. The room lit up and the three gasped to see everything topsy turvy.

"What the…" the chameleon was lost for words while his golden eyes were wider than saucers.

Manic's ears perked up, however, when he heard the sound of weeping. He rushed inside quickly, passing the other two, as his eyes went around the room. Finally, it rested on a familiar cobalt figure that was curled up under a table.

"Sonic?!"

X

The room was finally cleaned up and everything was right side-up again. Knuckles and Espio worked together to get the job done then they collapsed in exhaustion on a couch.

Sonic was curled up on another, all bundled up in Manic's arms as he cried his heart out on his older brother's chest. The older hedgie rubbed his younger brother's quills and hugged him close.

"Shh~" Manic soothed the smaller hedgehog. "Calm down, Nic…"

"I…I can't…" Sonic continued to cry, not willing to stop. "It hurts…too much…"

"What hurts, Sonic?" Knuckles asked, worried about his cobalt friend's condition.

Sonic ignored him and wept without another word. Manic knew what his brother was crying about and frowned.

'I've seen him depressed but I never knew it could go THIS far before…' the lime hedgehog thought.

"Sonic?" Espio went up to the hedgehogs. "Manic, what's the matter with him?"

Manic looked at his best friend and sighed. "He's feeling what you're feeling towards Vector but for him, it's for Shadow…"

The sound of his name made Sonic's ear twitch. The said cobalt hedgehog began to cry harder, clutching his brother more to let out his depression.

Espio, on the other hand, was taken back. He never told anyone about his feelings for Vector, let alone made it obvious…

Or did he?

"How…How did you know?" the chameleon asked.

"It was kinda obvious," Knuckles spoke for his boyfriend with a simple shrug. "You always want to be near Vector,"

Espio's scales turned pink in embarrassment. "O-Oh. I'm sorry, I tried not to make it obvious,"

"It's okay, Espy," Manic gave a weak smile. "At least you have a possibility to be with Vector since you're best friends and all…"

"No, I don't," Espio frowned and shook his head as his scales turned icy blue.

"W-What do you mean?" Sonic spoke up, peeking his head to the chameleon.

"Vector doesn't like me. He likes Vanilla. Besides, he feels like I don't trust him enough to tell him my past…"

Tears started to appear at the sides of Espio's eyes. He tried to blink and/or wipe them away but the three could clearly see that he was about to burst. Manic let go of his brother, who sat up and glanced at his chameleon friend with concern.

"Espio…" Sonic slowly walked towards him. "I never knew…"

"No one did," Espio sighed and fell to his knees. "I couldn't let anyone see how weak I am…"

"You're not weak if you could hold yourself together. Unlike me, a hedgehog with no possibility with his darker counterpart in any way possible…"

Sonic began to tear up too, his eyes misted with water as he gritted his teeth. Espio couldn't bare to see his friend go through something he's going through so he stood up and pulled the cobalt hedgehog into an embrace.

"Shh, it's alright," he whispered into the other's ears.

"You heard him, lil bro," Manic said as he stood up from the couch and patted Sonic's back. "Calm down,"

"Lil bro?" Espio turned to his best friend, perplexed. "You're related to Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Manic nodded. "Yep, I'm his older brother. Not equally popular but proud to be there for him, no matter what,"

Sonic smiled and pulled away from Espio then he turned to his brother and hugged him. Manic returned the embrace, ruffling his younger brother's quills playfully. The blue hedgie giggled in response.

"Manic!" he laughed.

"There's the younger brother I know!" Manic grinned. "Happy-go-lucky! As usual!"

Sonic sighed. "Well, not always but close enough,"

Knuckles looked over at his friends, deeply thinking on what to do to let out the tension. Suddenly, an idea came to his head. He took out his phone and called his ex/friend.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hey, Knuckles," a flirtatious female voice came from the other side. "What's up?"

"Mind if we head over to your club? There's A LOT of tension here that needs to cool down,"

"Sure thing, Hun. My club's open for anyone,"

"Thanks, Rouge. We'll be there,"

When he hung up, Knuckles noticed Manic had been listening and grew worried.

He knew for a fact that Manic NEVER drank. Nor did any of the royal siblings. They just never wanted to because they never want to know the tragic aftermath that may occur.

Fortunately, Manic seemed to consider.

He smiled and nodded at his boyfriend then stood up.

"Come on, guys," he said. "I have an idea to change the mood,"

"Really?" Espio folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"Let's go over to a famous club in the city; Club Rouge," Manic sent a wink to his lover, who grinned and winked back.

"Y-Yeah!" Knuckles agreed with a grin on his face. "Come on! A little music and company might change your moods tonight!"

Sonic smiled and nodded then they exited the house. As they walked, he gave a glance to Espio, who slowly walked behind them with his head low. The blue hedgehog sighed.

'I thought I was the only one with low possibility of finding someone to love. I guess Espio and I are at the same boat…'


	6. The Incident

The group were greeted with lights and music as they entered the doors of Club Rouge. They gasped at the sight of a lot of creatures; mobians and humans; male, female, gay, lesbian, bisexuals, and transgenders.

"Woah," Manic looked worried as his ears pinned. "This is A LOT of people…"

"Drunk, sober, perverted…" Sonic shivered at the thought.

Espio shook his head and placed his hands on each of his hedgehog friends' shoulder. "Calm yourselves and everything will be alright. Don't think of things too much,"

"Espio's right," Knuckles, who had been to Club Rouge's more than twice, agreed. "Keep calm and scurry on!"

He spotted Rouge by the bar and went to greet her. Manic noticed this and panicked.

"Wait for me!" he grabbed his younger brother's wrist and pulled him along.

"Woah!" Sonic went into panic too and grabbed Espio's arm by instinct.

The said chameleon was startled but simply let his friends drag him behind. Knuckles was in a middle of a conversation with the bat when his boyfriend bumped into him, sending the lime hedgehog down.

"Argh!" Manic fell on his head, which he rubbed before he yelped when Sonic and Espio came crashing down.

"Oh, sorry, Manic!" the azure hedgehog got off his older brother immediately.

"Are you alright?" the chameleon asked, helping his best friend up.

"No…" Manic huffed and turned away with a growl. "I was left alone in a place I don't know,"

Knuckles shook his head and sighed. He wrapped his arms around the lime hedgehog and nuzzled the said hedgehog's neck.

"Come on now, Manny, don't be that way," the echidna pouted, trying to get his lover to talk to him.

"So, this is the one you chose, huh, Knux?" Rouge chuckled as she looked over them. "Have to admit, you two are kinda cute together,"

Espio sighed and folded his arms while Sonic's ears pinned down as he looked down. Rouge noticed this but chose to ignore it to not worsen the situation. Manic just rolled his eyes.

"You just HAD to leave me be, you bastard," he snapped.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Knuckles tried harder. "Come on, Manny…"

"Fine," the lime hedgehog sighed and turned to face the red echidna, swiftly wrapping his around the other's neck. "just DON'T do that again, 'kay?"

"Promise," Knuckles smiled and briefly kissed him.

Espio sighed, feeling slightly uncomfortable so he turned away then he went to another bar and began to drink some strong alcohol that he bought without a second thought.

Sonic didn't drink so he had no idea what to do on an awkward situation like that. He looked about and finally chose to turn to Rouge.

"Uh, Rouge," he spoke up, in a nervous way. "what do you do in your club, exactly?"

"Drink and party, Blue," the white bat winked. "Honestly, I didn't know you drank anything,"

"Oh, I don't. Knuckles dragged me and Espio in here with my older brother Manic,"

"Oh, I see. Well," she grinned and turned to a familiar dark figure sitting by a seat in the bar she was hidden behind in. "why don't you talk over to Red Stripes there?"

Sonic looked over and gasped with wide eyes. "Red Stripes? You mean Shadow? What's he doing here?"

"Got stressed by the commander this week so he stomped over here to think his life over. He's been here for the whole day and wouldn't leave until he was satisfied,"

"Isn't he…drunk?" Sonic shivered, feeling uneasy.

"Oh, no, no, Blue! Don't worry. He's been drinking light stuff and a lot of red wine so he isn't drunk. I was actually surprised but then, his goal is to think life over, not get lose himself in alcohol…"

Sonic nodded and felt himself blush as he carefully approached the ebony hedgehog. He took a deep breath and gained some more confidence before tapping the other's shoulder. Shadow flinched but only had to briefly glance to the side to see who it was.

"What do you want, Faker?"

Sonic was startled by the voice but soon snapped out and smiled his cocky smile. "Hey, Shads! How're ya doing?"

"Not good, why else do you think I'm here?" Shadow scowled.

"I don't know. To have fun?"

"Ugh, what are YOU doing here even?"

"To hang out with some friends, obviously," Sonic shrugged.

"No, not obvious. Not obvious. At. All."

"Well, sorry, Mr. Grumpy Pants. I love to hang out and that's my reason in every place I go,"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Faker,"

Sonic chuckled and looked around then his eyes widened to realize that he was alone.

His brother was gone. Knuckles was gone too. Only Espio was available but he looked too drunk to talk to.

'Damn, he drank too much in just a few minutes.' the blue hero bit his bottom lip. 'How did he even know what he wants to drink, anyway?'

"Yo, Shads?"

"What?" the ebony one grumbled.

"I, uh," Sonic felt embarrassed as he asked. "never drank before and I was wondering, um, if you can tell me how to drink without getting drunk in an instant,"

Shadow turned to his blue rival and blinked in surprise. He narrowed his eyes at him then chuckled.

"You're weak, you know that?"

Sonic snarled. "I know that, Shadow. Why can you just do me a favor?!"

"Fine. Want my advice? Start off with something light. Maybe wine or cocktail. Something with some flavor to keep you distracted from getting high,"

"Okay! Anything else?"

"Take it easy when you drink. You don't wanna end up like your friend over there," Shadow pointed to the drunk chameleon. "When you're drunk, anyone, and I repeat, ANYONE can take advantage of you,"

Sonic gulped frighteningly but nodded and turned away from his ebony rival. He stood up from his seat then looked around and about for something to drink light to start drinking.

'Hmm…' he thought. 'but how would I know if it's light…'

He walked back to Shadow, who groaned at the sight of him.

"Back already?" the other scoffed.

"Just one last question!" Sonic begged.

"No."

"Aw, please?!"

"No."

"Oh, come on, Shads!"

"DON'T CALL ME SHADS, FAKER!"

"But, Shadow—"

"Sonic!"

The said azure hedgehog turned to see his older brother run to him in panic. Shadow just watched silently as the lime hedgehog came to a stop.

"Nic, Knuckles and I gotta haul tail! Quick!" Manic cried out.

"Wait, what?!" The poor hedgehog was confused. "What's going on, Manic?!"

Manic pointed to Espio, who was so drunk that he was yelling while Knuckles was trying to calm him down.

"What is the purpose to keep on living?! There is none!" the purple chameleon blabbered. "Let me die slowly and painfully!"

"Shut the hell up, Espio!" the red echidna groaned, frustrated as he wrapped one of the chameleon's arms around his neck to carry him.

"Oh," Sonic coughed, trying not to laugh as Shadow just sat behind him, dumbfounded. "um, I see…"

Manic noticed this and growled at the younger hedgie. "I know that you think it looks funny, lil bro, but it ain't funny! Bro, look how drunk Espy is! Sheesh, have a heart!"

"I…I'm trying!" It was getting more difficult to hold in his urge to laugh as he took in a deep breath and swallowed it.

"Well, it doesn't look like it so just shut it!" Manic huffed and turned to help Knuckles.

Sonic kept to himself and tried to hold himself still on the chair as he watched his big brother and his echidna friend escort their drunk friend out. After they left, he sighed and turned back to Shadow, who narrowed his eyes back at him.

"Who was that?" he coldly asked.

"Who?" Sonic was confused at his rival's question. "You mean that lime hedgehog?"

"Yeah, him. Who the hell is he?"

"Oh, just my older brother; Manic, Manic the Hedgehog,"

"You have an older brother?"

"Yeah, problem?"

"No, no, I was just surprised. That's all,"

"Anyway…"

"No, Faker." Shadow glared at the azure hero. "I'm not giving you any more advices. Just leave me alone,"

Sonic sighed and nodded then he walked away. He looked around and about again, trying to find someone to hang out with and trying to find something light to drink.

'Oh man…' he pouted as he took a seat at another bar. 'I'll never find anything to drink in this bunch…'

"Hey, cutie~"

Sonic snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see a crimson hedgehog with bright yellow eyes and stripes around his body as he wore an unbuttoned scarlet shirt that showed off his white fur chest.

"Um, hi," the azure hedgehog waved nervously. "You are?"

"Sprite," the other replied with a flirty smirk. "Sprite the Hedgehog, at your service. And you are?"

"Uh, Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of Möbius,"

"Oh, really? But you seem too…cute to be heroic," Sprite moved closer to the azure hero.

"Mm…" Sonic's ears pinned at the uncomfortable distance being closed in by the other. "Thanks?"

"Tell me, Sonic, have you ever drank before?"

"No, not really. Why?"

"Well…" Sprite smirked and held out a golden liquid. "what about you try this, Blue?~ It's very light, I promise you,"

Sonic looked at the drink oddly and recalled all the things that Shadow told him. None of his advices said anything about accepting random drinks from strangers so he just shrugged and accepted the glass.

"Okay…" the azure hedgehog took a sip and, little by little, started to get comfortable with the taste and the stranger. "Yum! It IS good!"

Sprite chuckled and watched lustfully as Sonic kept taking a sip and licking his lips.

From a far-off distance, Rouge's aquamarine eyes narrowed as she spotted the yellow-striped, red hedgehog and his doings.

'Oh, for chaos sake,' the mobian bat groaned. 'Why did those bodyguards of mine let THAT damn pervert in?!"

"Shadow," she tapped her friend's shoulder. "Shadow."

"What is it?" the ebony hedgehog grumbled, turning to her.

"Look over THERE,"

She pointed to the other bar and Shadow turned. He gasped in shock and anger when he saw a familiar face.

'Why?!' he gritted his teeth at the sight of the criminal hedgehog but his expression turned from rage to worrisome horror when he saw his azure rival beside him. 'And is that…oh fuck! Sonic!'

"SPRITE!"

The said hedgehog turned to him and smirked.

"Well, well," Sprite stood up and stood in front of the ebony ultimate lifeform. "if it isn't my Möbius self; Shadow the Hedgehog,"

Shadow glared daggers at his Anti-Möbius self. "Sprite, what did you do to him?!"

"Him who? You mean this adorable blue one here?" Sprite pointed to Sonic, who was starting to get a headache as he held his head.

"You know him, Sprite! Again, what the fuck did you do to him?!"

"Oh, just gave him a little glass of lemonade…with a special drug inside for his comfort,"

Shadow's ruby red eyes widened in alarm as soon as the last words were said. Sonic's eyes dropped and so did his body as he fell off the chair. The ebony hedgehog wanted to catch him but he wasn't quick enough. The crimson anti-hedgehog was able to catch the azure hero, though, but the grip around Sonic's hourglass waist was tight and it was obvious that he wanted him for himself.

Shadow growled. "Let go of Sonic!"

"Let him go?" Sprite chuckled, cuddling the unconscious body of the hedgehog in his arms. "Why should I? And who's gonna stop me if I don't?"

"We will." Rouge joined the team, pointing a gun to the anti-mobian's striped quills with her bodyguards behind her. "Might as well give him up and leave, Sprite. Now."

Sprite frowned but when a thought came across him, he smirked and carried Sonic bridal style.

"Oh my!" he pretended to be afraid and to surrender to the group as he grinned. "I'm so sorry! Please, let me surrender, in peace…"

He slowly went towards Shadow, who was expecting his anti-self to give him the unconscious azure hedgehog but he should have known better.

As soon as Sonic was close to the ebony hedgehog, Sprite chuckled and kicked him to the side then jumped over him and ran off to make his escape. Shadow groaned and rubbed his head, gritting his teeth when he saw the criminal running away.

"Guards, get him!" Rouge ordered and the bodyguards made chase.

She helped her G.U.N partner up then they ran off behind to catch up with the others.

X

"Ha ha!" Sprite hid behind an alley way and came to a stop, the smirk never leaving his face as he carried Sonic in his arms. "They'll never find me here! And they'll never get him back…"

He went behind a dumpster and sat down, laying the azure hedgehog on his lap. His bright yellow eyes were filled with greed and lust as he dragged his fingers over the soft, blue fur. He groaned at the smooth and softness until he realized that the lower part was covered with cloth.

"Well, well," Sprite grinned evilly when he began to take off the upper part. "I guess Scourge and Sonic have a lot more in common than I thought. Starting with the skin-colored shorts they both have to hide their little…secret…"

He took off the shorts completely and rubbed the the other's fur down to the peachy-pink opened spot in between the lower part of Sonic's legs. "Oh, yes~"

He rubbed the pussy, causing the azure hedgehog to whimper in discomfort and twist and turn, trying to close his legs. Sprite only gave a smirk as he pinned the poor, drugged-with-his-eyes-closed-but-partly-awake hedgehog to the cement floor and rubbed harder.

"Mm…please…stop…" the other begged but the anti-mobian didn't care as he continued to do as he please.

"Heh, not a chance, you little faggot," Sprite hissed. "You are SO gonna be my little toy for a while…"

Unfortunately, this little move was a big mistake for the criminal.

"FREEZE, SPRITE!"

Sprite froze and place back Sonic's shorts before turning to see a gun on his face. He unfroze and glared as his eyes met ruby red ones.

"Shadow…" he leapt to his feet and tried to run but the bodyguards grabbed him before he could escape and Rouge handcuffed him.

"Oh no you don't!" the bat grinned at Sprite's misfortune. "You're not going anywhere but to G.U.N Prison,"

She turned to Shadow. "Yo, Red, Stripes, mind if you take Blue to your place? I gotta deliver this scoundrel to G.U.N HQ,"

"Fine." Shadow nodded and carried Sonic in his arms.

The azure hedgehog fell back into deep slumber as the ebony one sped to his house as fast as he can.


	7. Espio's Story

"UGH, LET ME GO!"

Vector's eyes widened in realization and he turned his head from the TV as Charmy looked up from his book.

"Vector," Charmy sounded worried while he placed down his book on the coffee table. "isn't that…"

BLAM!

The door was slammed open and in came Knuckles as he dragged in a very drunk chameleon.

"ESPIO!" Both croc and bee hopped/flew off the couch and ran to help their friends out.

"LEAVE ME BE!" Espio kept on screaming. "I WANNA GET LOST AND DIE!"

"Espio, calm down!" Knuckles groaned and turned to the other two in the room. "Uh, care to tell me what you guys did to make him want to make himself drunk?!"

"Vector's fault!" Charmy pointed at the crocodile immediately.

"What?!" Vector was taken back with the accusation. "What the fuck did I do?!"

"You said it yourself, Vector! You and Espio were arguing before he left!"

"Why, in the name of chaos, were you arguing?" Knuckles asked, raising an eye brow as he carried Espio over his shoulder to keep him from running off.

"NUUU!" The purple chameleon was squirming but the echidna's grip kept him from falling.

"Well," Vector looked embarrassed, guilty even. "I kinda got mad at him for hiding so many things from me and Charm. I mean, I told him my past and Charmy here told us his past but Espio gave us nothing. I just want him to talk, ya know?"

"I can understand that you wanted to see if you could trust Espio, Vector, but if he doesn't wanna tell you, don't force him. It'll only make things worse," Knuckles looks back at the drunk mobian, who was still fighting him furiously, with a sigh and a groan. "A lot worse,"

Vector frowned. "Look, I'm sorry that I got 'im an' you into this, Knux, I just couldn't hold my anger and patience in anymore,"

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to him when he gets sober. In the morning,"

With that, Knuckles smacked Espio on the couch, immediately knocking out the chameleon while Charmy and Vector screamed.

"GAH!" Charmy quickly flew to his room. "GOOD NIGHT!"

The bee's bedroom door slammed and all was silent, with only Espio's breathing heard through since it was a little loud. Vector looked down at his only best friend, guilt in his golden eyes as a sigh escaped his snout.

"Alright, well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "thanks for bringing him back, Knuckles,"

"No problem," Knuckles nodded and turned. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on him with a friend of ours. 'Night, Vector,"

"Good night…" the croc could only watch as his red echidna friend left the house, closing the door.

He looked back down at Espio, guilty before walking to the ninja chameleon's room to get a pillow and a blanket. He gently placed the pillow below the head of the knocked-out chameleon, who lightly squirmed but soon relaxed as soon as his head was placed on the soft cushion.

'Phew!' Vector sighed in relief for a while then he placed the blanket over his teammate to keep him from freezing.

Espio felt the warmth and cuddled the cloth. The crocodile felt his cheeks heat up at the sight.

'Damn.' he gulped. 'Is it wrong to think your best friend adorable?'

He then smacked his head with a groan. 'What the hell are ya thinkin', Vector?! He's your BEST FRIEND! Stop bein' a jerk! Ya already made him drunk! Don't make it worse!'

With that heavy thought, he went to bed to call it a night.

X

Light shone through the curtains of his room, hitting his face as he began to wake up. He blinked for a while to make his vision clear then he got up and stretched.

'Man, what a night!' he thought, getting out of bed to eat.

As soon as he opened his bedroom door, he was surprised to see his chameleon friend already up and was sitting down on the couch with his head low.

'But then, this IS Espio I'm talking about so…' He shrugged it off and went over to greet the now-sober ninja chameleon.

"Hey there, Esp—"

"Stop."

Vector froze with wide eyes as he now clearly saw Espio, who was holding and twirling a kunai in his right hand as he looked down at the floor.

The crocodile felt more guilty than the previous night, knowing that the chameleon was going to blame him for what happened at the bar.

"Espio, I…"

"Look, Vector," Espio sighed and stood up, keeping the blade to not seem threatening. "whatever you heard yesterday, forget it. And…I'm sorry if I haven't told you anything about myself. I'm just…not ready to handle another trip down memory lane…"

"No, Espio," Vector sighed and walked closer. "I'M the one who should be sorry. I should have been a little more patient…"

"You've been patient enough, Vector. It's been 6 years already. It's time for me to tell you and Charmy,"

"Tell us what?" the two turned to see the 14-year old bee fly over to them, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he landed on the couch.

Espio smiled and sat down by Charmy's left, patting the head of the exhausted Bee as Vector sat down by Charmy's right.

"Tell you both…my life," the mobian chameleon sighed. "My life in the past…"

Charmy was fully awake now, eager to know. Vector held his breath, the guilt still looming and aching his head and chest but he managed to keep himself together.

"Many years ago," Espio began his long tale. "two chameleons met on an Autumn twilight. One was a navy blue male with amber eyes while the other was a crimson red female with yellow eyes. The male was Ekano, a brave, honorable samurai chameleon and the female was Shina, a sly, loyal ninja chameleon. They were…my parents.

"Months after their wedding, I was born in my parents' home. I was a lotus flower, in their eyes, and they were the greatest beings in mine. Our life was simple yet I embraced every minute of it. My mother taught me to be a ninja, using my camouflage to good use. My father, on the other hand, taught me how to use the skills I learned to good use. I was happy, very happy that my parents loved each other and me equally. Life was happy…well, at least, it was.

"One day, when I was 5 years old, it was mid-noon and I had been playing with my parents' wooden toys outside for a while. I noticed the humidity getting intense so I picked myself up and headed to our house. The moment I stepped in, however, I was greeted with the most horrific sight…"

Espio paused with a hitched breath, his eyes watery before he sighed and continued.

"There, in the living room, stood my father, a bloody blade in his hands as my mother laid on the ground around a pool of blood, which came from her open stomach as the blood nearly reached the door. I was horrified, frozen with wide eyes. My father looked at me in fear and told me not to scream.

"Lucky for him, I was too frightened to scream but when Auntie Soba, my mother's sister, came into the room, she yelled out bloody murder. My father became alarmed and sliced her throat, making me yelp then I fell to my knees and began to weep. My father tried to console me but I was too panicky to listen as I kicked him away. The last thing he did was sigh then he sliced his stomach and cut his head off.

"I was scarred. I ran out of the house, still in tears, and roamed the streets. I had no one and had to scavenge for my own food and water. Those were the only things I was sure I needed to survive. Those were the only things taught to me, anyway…

"One night, while I was starving but still sleeping in an alley way, I was founded by a rat and brought down to the sewers. I was then presented to…Ferrell, the leader of the pack of underground sewer thieves, who smiled at me and took me in his pack to raise and train. I became like a son to him…

"In the pack, there was a 4 year old lime hedgehog that Ferrell was also raising. He became my best friend and he was like a brother to me. Our skills on stealing were nearly at the same level. He was great swiping while was no one looking and my invisibility became my weapon on snatching/distracting victims. Everyone in the pack was surprised to see us getting along and working together than fighting to see who was better. Ferrell was proud of us and couldn't decide who was his favorite but he and I didn't care. We became close for 11 years…

"Days after I turned 17, I was out on the streets, going on a hunt alone because Ferrell went with my best friend to scavenge a few things for the pack. That day was the day I me you, Vector,"

"M-Me?!" the crocodile was taken back with wide eyes.

Espio nodded. "Yes, it was the day I met you. As you and I remember correctly, I tried to steal your headphones and golden chains while you were sleeping then when you woke up, I was running away and you were chased after me. You caught me and threatened to call the cops on me, correct?"

"Correct." Vector nodded.

"Well, what you didn't know was that I was desperate by that time,"

"Desperate for what, Espio?" the bee asked, tilting his head.

"Desperate to eat. Desperate to drink. My hunt was unsuccessful that night because I wasn't really used to going out without my best friend to help me out. I was starving so I wanted to sell Vector's headphones and pawn his golden chains to get some money so I could eat and drink. Unfortunately, as I said, Vector caught me so I went back to the pack, famished,"

Vector froze, guilt pulling him down more than ever as the chameleon continued. 'Crap! So I'M the reason I found him on the streets, looking pale than ever…'

"But, of course," Espio sighed and shook his head. "I lived in a pack of thieves. They don't share so they didn't give me anything. I went out on the streets to beg for food but he aristocrats weren't having any of it. I don't remember all but I do remember a certain pair. It was a magenta female hedgehog and a yellow dog with blonde hair. I didn't know who the girl was but I knew he male. His name was Bartleby, an aristocrat famous for being snobby.

"Anyway, the female wanted to give me food but Bartleby said that they were in a hurry and that I was in the lower class. I tried begging harder, which only made him growl and kick me. Other aristocrats saw this and copied his actions. The last thing I heard was the girl screaming for them to stop before I was knocked out. THAT was how you found me injured, Vector,"

"Oh," the croc gulped. "I…I see…"

Espio bit his bottom lip after seeing how guilty it made his reptilian friend but shrugged it off as he coughed to continue.

"I was saved by Vector and brought in to eat and drink. As I remember, Vector, you told me everything about yourself. I listened quietly but when you asked about me, I wept, not saying a word. I couldn't say anything for my mind hadn't gone through memory lane in years…

"After a few hours, I returned home to the pack. That was a bad idea, I know, but they were still the family I had so I couldn't leave them, no matter what they did, or better yet what they didn't do. My best friend was still there too. If I wanted to ever escape, I'd bring him with me and I DID want to escape that very night with him. But, as I should have known, fate had different plans for us both…

"When I got back, no one was there. I tried to search for them but no one was around. Not even Ferrell. I called for them to come out, if they were hiding from the police, but they didn't come out nor did they shush me to not attract any attention. I was walking and searching for hours until my best friend came to me and demanded to know what happened. I told him that I wasn't around for a while and that I was out hunting. He was immediately mad and slapped me, scolding and accusing me of being a traitor to the pack. The last thing he ever told me was to leave and never return.

"I felt betrayed again and obliged with no hesitation. I moved in with Vector, lying that I had JUST lost my old apartment. We stayed there until we had no more money and Vector was fired from his job. We were evicted from his place but luckily found this shack. We moved in and cleaned the place to make it feel homey. We did that for at least two weeks. We still had no job and had to eat sardines for a while. Life was all dull…until you entered our little family, Charmy,"

"Me?!" Charmy was taken back, surprised. "What did I do?!"

"You were a child. We had to take care of you. I legalized an adoption so you could stay with us. We both learned responsibility and I was brought back to the path of honor and dignity; the very thing I lost when Ferrell found me and misled me into his ways. I thought everything was going to be alright from now on but then again, maybe not…"

Espio took a deep breath then sighed. "I knew Vector was getting suspicious and irritated of me. He told his story, Charmy told us his and I told nothing. I knew this talk was gonna come, someday…"

"Look, Esp," Vector spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck nervously and guiltily. "I'm sorry if I pressured ya ta tell us. I didn't know you went through so much ta get here…"

"It is alright, Vector. I don't need your pity,"

"But, Esp…"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!


	8. All In The Past

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Who could that be?" Charmy asked. "It's so early!"

"I'll get it!" Vector stood up and headed to the door.

He turned the doorknob and opened the door. He smiled at the familiar face.

"Hey, Knux!" he greeted, sliding to let the guests in. "Great ta see ya again! Who's your friend?"

Knuckles's face turned into a deeper shade of red as he and the other entered, shutting the door behind them. "Well, um, Vector, this is…"

"Manic!"

"Espio!" The lime hedgehog ran to the couch and pulled his best friend into a hug. "You're okay!"

The chameleon smiled and hugged him back. "Yes, I'm alright. Thank you for bringing me back to the house with Knuckles, by the way,"

"Well, I had to," Manic pulled away and sat down on the couch next to the other mobian. "You were drunk as fuck! Either we bring you back or we'd let some stranger take advantage of you in the club,"

Vector couldn't help but feel a little jealous as the hedgehog sat next to his reptilian friend. He sat on the other side of the couch, a dirty look being sent to the lime hedgie.

"Yo, Esp, who's this?" he asked.

"Oh, this is Manic," the chameleon answered as Knuckles sat next to the said hedgehog. "Manic the Hedgehog. He's the thief I told you about that became my brotherly best friend,"

'That's why I don't seem to like him…' the croc growled. "Ya mean the one who kicked ya out of the pack of thieves?"

Manic's ears lowered as he looked down, guilty. Knuckles glared at the large green reptile and Espio felt his face burn in embarrassment.

"Yes, but things are different now, Vector! I assure you. Manic has changed his attitude…"

The lime hedgehog sighed and slumped back at the couch with a frown. The chameleon went into panic while the crocodile received a painful smack from the echidna.

"Hey!" Vector yelped.

"Shut up." Knuckles snarled.

"Manic," Espio tried to explain to his best friend. "I-I apologize for Vector's, uh, accusation. You see, I, um, just told him my past and, well, uh…"

"It's okay, Espy," Manic turned his head and smiled. "I know I made the mistake, not you,"

"No, you didn't," the purple reptile shook his head. "I made the mistake of leaving our pack's den when there was danger…"

"But…I wasn't there either,"

Espio blinked at him in horror and shock. "Pardon? You weren't there EITHER?"

"Yeah, I wasn't," Manic shrugged and folded his arms. "I went off on my own after helping Ferrell scavenge some stuff at the dump,"

"Oh, I-I see…" the chameleon slowly nodded. "But it's not all your fault. I wasn't able to get any money and/or food with my invisibility nor my wits so I tried begging for food outside on the streets. Since the other thieves don't share, I stayed on the streets for hours and got beaten up pretty badly,"

"What?!" The lime hedgehog was taken back. "Beaten up?! By who?!"

"Some aristocrats. Mainly a snobby one called Bartleby…"

"Bartleby?!" Manic growled, gritting his teeth. "Oh, I know that damn guy. He's a fucking bastard!"

"You know him?" Espio raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"He was my big sister's ex-boyfriend and ex-fiancé. They were together for a few years until she realized that he was the wrong one cause he discriminated us 'lower classes' by thinking that we don't deserve so much as the high classes, aristocrats and royals,"

"I hate aristocrats," Vector gave an angry comment. "They're ALWAYS thinking that they're better at this, better at that and so on, so forth!"

"Agreed." Manic nodded in agreement. "I mean, my sister was part of the aristocrats cause we were split when we were young but she's only been bossy, not snobby,"

"Anyway," Espio continued. "when I was left bruised, Vector here took me in. When I came back, the pack was gone,"

"I wish I knew the reason why Robotnik took and roboticised everyone in the pack," the lime hedgie sighed.

"Oh yeah!" Charmy snapped his fingers in realization. "I forgot that Eggman used to rule Möbius. In a terrible way, anyway!"

"Where were you when the pack was attacked?" the chameleon questioned his best friend.

"I was out," Manic replied with a slight shrug. "Ferrell and I had just finished scavenging and we were heading back to the pack when I heard a guitar strumming. Curious, I gave Ferrell my loot of scavenged stuff and told him that I'd be back in a while. I went into a bar and saw…ALL of my three younger brothers playing for a crowd,"

"Wait, all?!" Vector was taken back with wide eyes. "You have THREE younger brothers?!"

"Yep, and they all look the same too, since they're identical triplets and all…" The lime hedgehog thief chuckled. "Anyway, before, I didn't know that they were my brothers but felt like I connected with the music they were playing. I just hopped on the stage and went to the drums to play,"

"You JUST went to the drum set and played?!" Espio's golden eyes were as wide as saucers. "You were lucky that they were your brothers or else they would have kicked you off the stage!"

"I know, I know but it was clickbait, Espy. They KNEW I was their brother. That's why they set up the band there; to lure me and our sister! She eventually came, telling us that we sounded great before jumping to the piano to play. We kept playing music until Robotnik's 'bots and ruined everything. That's when they told us WE were their siblings.

"I ran back home to tell Ferrell, and you, Espio, the news but found no one in the pack. I freaked out and ran all around, calling for them until I realized that only you were left. I thought you were there the whole time so I pinned the blame on you and kicked you out…"

Manic's ears pinned to his skull as he sighed. "I'm sorry, Espy. I really am but I was just so panicky that I let my anger out on you. Soon, I realized what I did but it was already too late and you already left. I never found you nor did I have a chance to search for you so I thought Robotnik had gotten you too…"

"Are ya kidding?!" Vector gave a snicker as he wrapped an arm around the chameleon, who nearly jumped in surprise. "Espio was one tough reptile! He got us out of Robotropolis an' into the Southern part of Möbius with no sweat! At all! He's a brave one, I tell ya! A brave one!"

Espio's color immediately turned rosy pink when he was attacked by the hug. Knuckles and Manic noticed this and exchanged smirks before giggling quietly. Charmy noticed this but didn't pay attention while Vector was clueless of what was going on.

"W-Well, um," the purple reptile untangled himself from the croc's huge arm. "that was all in the past. What we can focus on now is what is happening in the present and what will happen in the future,"

"Agreed!" the lime hedgehog grinned.

Suddenly, a phone rings and Knuckles quickly answered the call.

"Hello?" he said. "Oh, hey, Rouge! How's it going?"

Manic's eye twitched in irritation while Espio placed a hand on his shoulder to console him.

"Yeah," the red echidna went on with the call. "Yeah, we're here. Yeah, both of us. Manic and me. Why? What's wrong?"

Manic felt the urge to worry as Knuckles's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. 'What's going on…'

"WAIT, WHAT?!" the Guardian fell into deep panic. "ROUGE, EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED OR ELSE!"

"Uh, is Knux okay?" Vector asked, turning to the lime hedgehog.

"I…I don't know…" Manic gulped, his hazelnut brown eyes full of fear.

Finally, the red echidna was done with the call and threw his phone to a wall, smashing it.

"ARGH!!!" he held his head in frustration as he gritted his teeth.

"Knux, what happened?!" the lime hedgehog tried to calm him down.

"IT'S SONIC! HE WAS HARASSED AT THE BAR!"

"WHAT?!"


	9. Sonic's Tale And Secret

{Sonic}

"Faker?"

"Faker, you awake?"

I groan, a familiar voice hitting my ears, which twitched and flicked around to try to find the source of the voice.

Why is it so familiar…?

"Wake up, Hedgehog!"

"Huh…?" my vision is still blurry as I flutter my eyes open. "Who…?"

"Hedgehog! WAKE UP!"

Wait…I know that voice! But it can't be…can it?

"Damn it, Sonic! Wake the hell UP!"

{Normal}

Sonic's vision finally cleared as his emerald green eyes were met ruby red ones.

"GAH!" he screamed, backing away in shock as he finally realized who he was facing. "Shadow?!"

Shadow face-palmed at the other's reaction and shook his head with a groan.

'What did Sprite do to make him react THAT crazy?' he thought as he took a deep breath to keep him from seeming annoyed.

"At least you're FINALLY awake, Faker," he said. "You've been out for a couple of hours,"

"What?" Sonic scratched his head, really confused as he had obviously forgotten the terrible events in the previous night. "Why? What had happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"No…why?"

Shadow face-palmed again and sighed. "Do you at least remember Sprite the Hedgehog?"

"Sprite? Uh, yeah," Sonic bit his bottom lip. "I think…"

Suddenly, realization hit the azure hedgehog like a strong whack to the head and a wild kick to the stomach. He fell to his knees and burst into tears when the events of what the anti-mobian did to him.

Shadow, on the other hand, was shocked and confused on what was happening. He was frozen in place, not knowing what to do as his rival just kept sobbing.

"Uh, F-Faker?" he stuttered on his words as he spoke. "Are you, um, okay—"

"NO, I AM NOT!" Sonic screamed as loud as he could try. "I WAS FUCKING HARASSED, SHADOW! WHY WOULD I BE ALRIGHT?!"

"Calm down, you idiot!" Shadow grabbed the azure hedgehog's upper arms. "Sprite was arrested LAST NIGHT! YOU DON'T NEED TO FUCKING WORRY!"

"I AM NOT WORRIED! I WAS FUCKING AFRAID! I AM STILL AFRAID! YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE THE HARASSMENT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT, IT IS ALL FINE LIKE NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED! IT IS NOT!"

"WHT NOT?!"

"BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE AND IT IS TERRIFYING!"

The red-striped, ebony hedgehog's eyes widened in shock as he slowly backed away. The azure hero fell into tears again, his hands on his face to keep him from showing his pathetic sight to the ultimate life-form in front of him.

"I…" Shadow felt his throat turn dry in guilt as his eyes lowered and his ears pinned. "I didn't know…"

"No…no one did…" Sonic sniffled his tears, wiping his blurry eyes to clear his vision. "Only two of my brothers knew…"

"What happened? Well, if you don't mind me asking,"

"I…" the azure Hedgehog broke down into tears again, the memory still unbearable to say.

The ebony hedgehog groaned, scratching his head before he shrugged and sighed. He pulled his rival into a hug and rubbed his quills gently. The blue speedster was in shock but still allowed it as he cried onto the ebony life-form's white, furry chest.

"Look, Faker," Shadow told him to ease him. "you DON'T have to tell me if you don't want to,"

"I…I do…" Sonic sniffled his tears and gently pulled away to face his ebony rival. "I just…"

He sighed and nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you…

"A few years ago, when I was like 10, my older brother Ric and I were wearing our clothes and were walking on the streets after shopping for some food for our team, The Freedom Fighters. It was late night so I held onto him and ran as fast as I could so we could return to our place in one place. We also needed to take back the medicine we bought for little brother Gil, who was sick with a fever so he was being taken care of by our Uncle Chuck while we went out.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. Some huge, drunk sickos grabbed us and pulled us into an alleyway. They ripped our coats off and dragged their fingers and tongues down our fur and our quills sexually. They kept on harassing us as they took off my pants and…well…"

"They…" Shadow shivered at the thought. "fingered you two?"

Sonic nodded. "Ric, Gil and I all have the same secret. We wear pants ALL the time. Our Uncle Chuck helped us hide our secret by wearing skin-colored pants. It was very private but slightly obvious cause we kinda looked like transgenders to the other Freedom Fighters. Especially with our secret being there…"

"Transgenders?" Shadow scratched his head. "Wait, you said that it was LIKE you three were transgenders but you aren't?"

"No, we aren't,"

"Then…what?"

"We're…" the azure hedgehog gulped. "…hermaphrodites. A SPECIAL kind of herms, actually…"

The ebony hedgehog's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, so the three of you are Class 5 Hermaphrodites?! The ones with a vagina and a penis and the ones who CAN get pregnant?!"

"Yeah…" Sonic sighed and began to tremble. "Anyway, once those sickos found out, they sold us to a slave camp, a little far from the city. Lots of other bastards came to fuck us. They always aim for our asses because they knew we could get pregnant. I was the one who was usually fucked, no matter how many times Ric tried to defend me and himself. I couldn't fight back because…I was too scared…

"Thankfully, Uncle Chuck found out where we were. He pretended to buy us to be his slaves but when he finally got us, we went straight home to the Freedom Fighter Base. Our uncle checked us up to see if we were infected with any STDs, which we luckily didn't get because of our immunity, while Gil hugged us warmly, crying since he was so worried about us. They wanted to know what happened and Ric told them. I was still too traumatized to speak and ran to our bedroom…

"I couldn't sleep that night. I still had nightmares. My sleepless nights went on for days. And from days to weeks and from weeks to months. I couldn't get over what happened. Not one bit. I was visibly frozen in place. I stayed in our room, not daring to leave. Ric, Gil and Uncle Chuck tried to get me to leave and eat with them in the dining room but I didn't. I couldn't. I didn't feel hungry nor thirsty. I let myself starve for months…"

"Oh." Shadow shivered at the sudden tension building up in the room at the other's tale. "Sonic…"

"Hmm?" Sonic blushed a deep red when his ACTUAL name was called instead of the bad nickname as he looked up. "What is—"

His face reddened to the tip of his ears the moment the ebony hedgehog pulled him into a warm embrace, his steaming face on the ultimate life-form's furry white chest as he hugged him back, wrapping his arms around the neck of the other hedgehog.

"I didn't know that the 'Hero of Möbius' can go through so much in a childhood…" Shadow muttered under his breath.

Sonic lightly chuckled. "There's a lot of things no one knows about me. Not even Manic knows…"

"Why?" the ebony hedgehog pulled away to face the shimmering emerald green orbs and placed his hands on the azure hedgehog's warm cheeks. "Don't you wanna tell him? He IS your brother…"

"No, I don't." the hero shook his head with a frown. "He'll worry too much and think I can't handle myself. I CAN handle myself now so I don't need his concern,"

He gently took Shadow's hands into his own, making the ultimate life-down blue as he made eye contact and pleaded, "Please don't tell him, Shadow. Please don't tell Manic, or anybody else, what happened to me. I don't want anyone else to know how weak I was…"

He started tearing so he tried to wipe the tears with his arms and elbows but failed. Shadow could only sigh and shake his head.

"Sonic, you aren't weak," he boldly and sternly told him. "You are never weak. Sure, those damn sickos assaulted you hard in the past but that was because they thought you were a fucking coward since you were young. You've grown stronger than before and you know that. If those bastards were here right now, you'd be able to take them down like shit! Just…trust in yourself, Hedgehog. You're a lot stronger than you appear to be…"

He then paused and sighed then he added, "But, okay then. I won't tell anyone else, even your brother,"

Sonic's eyes lit up and he gasped in surprise. He wrapped his arms around the other again, catching him in a tight, surprise hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHADOW!" he cheered, crying out tears of joy.

Shadow's face burnt, turning as red as his stripes and eyes before he smiled and hugged back.

'Anything for you, Faker…'


	10. Unwanted Encounter

Months passed since the incident at Club Rouge. Sonic tried his hardest to forget but the witnesses knew that it was unforgettable for him.

Now, it was the month of December was winter, a.k.a Christmas time. Sonic wanted to use the holidays as a way to distract himself from the incident.

As usual, he arranged a Christmas Party two weeks before Christmas and two weeks before his friends had to go to their homes to celebrate with their families.

This time, however, things went a little bit wrong.

Sonic was out in the supermarket to buy food for his party. Silver and Scourge joined him to 1. Entertain himself because to him, there were times when grocery shopping was boring as fuck. And 2. So that he can keep track of the foods he needed without getting distracted.

"So…what else?" he turned to his two Uke companions, who both held the list of Foods To Buy.

"Hmm…" Silver looked closer at the paper in his hand. "Looks like…carrots for Cream and Vanilla's Carrot Cake,"

"And Assorted Fruit for the fruit salad Espio requested," Scourge added with a shrug.

The three headed to the Fruits And Vegetables aisle to get the missing ingredients. The albino hedgehog ran off to the Ice Cream freezers to get the ice cream needed for the milkshakes while the forest green hedgehog went to check the prices, leaving the azure hedgehog by the aisles, bored.

'Man, I brought them along to entertain me…NOT leave me alone to die in boredom!' He grumbled with a frown.

He looked around to see more and more mobians arrive at the aisles and sighed. 'Well, while I'm here, I should AT LEAST get something I need for myself.'

He pushed the pushcart to the Feminine Needs aisle and felt his face heat up when he saw dozens of girls and mothers with their daughters get feminine care from the shelves. He took a deep breath and confidentially strode inside with his pushcart. The females all chattered, their whispers and mutters not loud enough to be heard but he heard them anyway.

"Is that Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"What is HE doing here?"

"Is he shopping for his girlfriend?"

"You mean that pink brat that keeps on clinging onto him? Why would he like her?"

'Yeesh, is the only thing that these people can do is gossip?' he gave a glare and rolled his eyes at the chattering. 'Man, they need a new hobby…'

He stopped at a shelf then took some feminine paddings and placed it in the basket on the pushcart. He looked around and got some more things he knew he needed but that only made things worse as the females began to gossip more.

"OMG, he got A LOT of paddings…"

"Is he gay?"

"Ew, that's gross…"

'Judgmental freaks…' Sonic growled then sighed. 'Why haven't people, er, mobians, learned to respect LGBT people—Oof!'

Suddenly, he bumped into someone else's cart, making him gasp and look up in fear to see who it was.

"S-Sprite?!" His eyes widened as he backed away.

Sprite realized who he was talking to and smirked, his bright yellow eyes flashing. The females around them screamed and ran away, knowing that the Anti-Möbian was a criminal to be feared.

"Well, well," the yellow-striped, red hedgehog chuckled. "if it isn't Sonic the Hedgehog…~"

Sonic backed up, fear in his emerald eyes. Sprite noticed this and grabbed the other's pushcart to keep him from moving.

"Tsk, tsk," he evilly grinned, his sharp teeth shining. "not so fast, you blue speedster~"

"No…please…" Sonic let go off his cart and backed away.

Sprite shook his head and let go off the carts then he strode towards the azure hedgehog, licking his lips lustfully. Sonic kept on backing off until his back reached the wall, making him tremble with fear as the Anti-Mobian slammed his hands at the other's sides, boxing the poor, Uke hedgehog in.

"N-No…" Sonic pinned his ears and placed his hands in front of him to keep himself from being squashed by the bigger hedgehog pinning him to the wall. "P-Please…"

"I'm gonna show you a lesson for getting me caught in prison, you little fag," Sprite smirked and moved his head closer to the other hedgehog's trembling ear.

The said ear of the azure hedgehog flinched then he gasped when the Anti-Möbian bit the tip of his ear.

"Ah! Stop!"

But the red, yellow-striped hedgehog didn't listen as he grabbed the azure hero's wrists and gripped tight. Sonic winced and bit his bottom lip in pain but couldn't do anything to run off so he shut his eyes, hoping for the other to just leave him be.

All of a sudden, a shrill voice caught their attention.

"SPRITE?!"

Sprite's eyes widened at the familiar voice and turned to see Scourge with a basket of grocery while Silver stood behind him with the ice cream cartons in one of his hands.

"Guys!" Sonic, on the other hand, was thankful that his friends came back just in time. "I'm so glad to see you two!"

"Sonic, we got you!" the albino hedgehog used his free hand to levitate their azure friend and brought him to them.

The red, yellow-striped Anti-Möbian snarled. "Why you little…"

He took out a chaos spear and aimed it at the psychokinetic hedgehog, who yelped and jumped in shock. Sonic pushed his friend out of the way whilst Scourge knocked Sprite down to the ground, placing a foot on his chest to keep him from moving or escaping.

"What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?!" he growled, his ocean blue eyes glaring down at the fellow Anti-Möbian.

"Just to pay you and your little friends a visit," Sprite chuckled.

"Well, now you have and now you can leave. NOW."

The red, yellow-striped hedgehog was about to oppose when the forest green hedgehog pressed his foot on him harder, making it hard to breath so he just teleported to take his leave. Sonic's Anti-Möbian self huffed.

"Good." he turned to Sonic and placed a hand on his tense and trembling shoulder. "You okay, Blue?"

The azure hedgehog's ears were pinned and his body showed obvious fright. "Y-Yeah…I…I'm fine…"


End file.
